


[Fake?] Boyfriends

by thequietrecluse



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Excessive use of brackets I'm sorry, Fake/Pretend Relationship, First chapter is SeungBin only, Friends to Lovers, I forgot Hyunjin wasn't a dance major, Implied Sexual Content, Light Angst, Look this wasn't meant to be poly, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Pre-Poly, Side SungIn, Side Woolix, The next chapter is where the poly begins, but then the vlive happened and here we are, it's fine though, it's not mentioned but it takes place in the US, protective friends, side minchan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-10-14
Packaged: 2020-07-08 20:54:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19875931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thequietrecluse/pseuds/thequietrecluse
Summary: At first, it was one of convenience: Seungmin didn’t look like someone so innocent that people could mess with him and Changbin looked less like a creepy loser who didn’t know how to interact with people.Now, in Seungmin’s junior year, he’d moved into an apartment with his [fake] boyfriend and the other two people who made up said [fake] boyfriend’s producing rap group.Did he like Changbin? He didn’t know.But then they met Hyunjin.





	1. What happens when you lie so long it becomes a truth?

**Author's Note:**

> I have so many Stray Kids fanfics in my docs, but somehow THIS is the first one I've made the most progress on? I'm working on other stories (like a vampire!chan/human!woojin and a superhero!minbin one) but I'll write the second half of this story and post is as soon as I can!
> 
> I hope you like it, it's only marginally edited and if it seems like I'm missing a part (because I wrote it all and then went back and added parts so I might have forgotten to finish a part of it) PLEASE let me know! I won't get mad ^_^

Seungmin honestly hadn’t expected the lie to last so long.

At first, it was one of convenience: Seungmin didn’t look like someone so innocent that people could mess with him and Changbin looked less like a creepy loser who didn’t know how to interact with people.

One month passed, and then two, and then a year, and now, in Seungmin’s junior year, he’d moved into an apartment with his [fake] boyfriend and the other two people who made up said [fake] boyfriend’s producing rap group. All their friends, none the wiser, genuinely thought they were dating, and the two of them had fallen into some semblance of a real relationship for so long that Seungmin never wanted Changbin to leave his life, boyfriend or not. But as for his feelings for the older... he wasn’t sure. Were his feelings genuine, or a byproduct of their prolonged fake relationship? What happens when you lie for so long that it feels like the truth? Is it actually the truth? Did he like Changbin? He didn’t know.

But then they met Hyunjin.

* * *

Don’t get him wrong, Seungmin and Changbin are _not_ the stereotypical romantic couple that goes out on dinner dates and gets each other flowers and calls each other cutesy nicknames. They’re the bickering type, that one couple who are always at each other’s throats but are always curled up in each other’s laps at the end of the night. They’re constantly trying to one-up each other, often resorting to sabotaging each other only to both lose at the end.

They both meet Hyunjin during one of those games. It’s their weekly game night, and they are playing Smash Brothers with their friends. As soon as the match begins, Seungmin makes it his personal goal to eliminate his boyfriend first, to which Changin immediately retaliates.

Felix walks in with pizza and Hyunjin at the moment Seungmin loses instead. He’s sure that the image of Seungmin complaining while Changbin laughs in his face isn’t the best first impression, but Hyunjin doesn’t seem to mind.

Thankfully, Felix waits until the match is over (Jeongin wins) before announcing cheerily, “Hey guys, this is Hyunjin! He’s my dance partner for this semester.”

Everyone calls out greetings and introductions, warmly inviting the tall dancer into their group as they move to get ready for dinner.

“I’m Seungmin,” he introduced, giving Hyunjin a little smile. “Nice to meet you.”

“It’s so nice to meet you too,” Hyunjin’s almost overwhelmingly friendly,

“Changbin,” His [fake] boyfriend grins, shaking Hyunjin’s hand firmly.

“Oh wait, you’re SpearB from 3RACHA!” Everyone stops and stares in amusement as the new dancer grins widely, eagerly launching into a rant about how much he loves their music and their message and their rapping skills.

Finally, Seungmin interjects, playfully saying, “Yeah, I don’t blame you for recognizing Changbin as SpearB, his chin makes him stick out. Literally.”

“Yah,” Changbin’s face is offended, but there’s a gleam in his face.

Seungmin rolls his eyes. “And before you ask, Chan is CB97 and Jisung is J.One.”

“No way!” Hyunjin turns to stare at the two, who cheerfully wave. Within seconds, he’s bounded over to them, asking question after question.

“Way to steal my thunder, Seungminnie,” Changbin says.

“You didn’t have much thunder to begin with, _Baby Binnie,_ ” he retorts.

Seungmin loves the gobsmacked expression on Changbin’s face whenever he can’t come up with a good enough comeback. It’s his favorite part about teasing Changbin.

* * *

Hyunjin fits in well with their group. He really does. He’s come every game night this month, yet it feels like he’s always been there. He gets along with his fellow dancers Felix and Minho, joins Seungmin in tormenting Jeongin, and admires Woojin and Chan. He butts heads with Jisung at first, despite his initial starstruck moment, but they quickly settle down and become close friends.

Seungmin feels a kind of kinship with Hyunjin. He’s a hard worker, someone who wants to become someone beyond what people initially think of them. His passion is admirable, and Seungmin can really appreciate that. It also helps that Hyunjin is an extra person to mess with Jeongin with him. It sounds trivial, but honestly, Hyunjin fits naturally into Seungmin’s dynamic with Jeongin. Hyunjin fills a role in their friendship that Seungmin hadn’t known they needed. Their friend group feels... complete now.

On Wednesdays Jisung, Felix, Hyunjin, and Seungmin eat lunch together. It’s the one day a week they all can meet up outside of game night, and Felix had taken the opportunity. It didn’t help that today is a nice day and Seungmin just so happens to have a picnic blanket.

They’re still broke college students, though, so they’re eating Chinese takeout, using their backpacks as backrests and trying their best not to pass out from exhaustion. Jisung is shoveling as much lo mein in his mouth as possible while Felix and Hyunjin are animatedly discussing the choreography for their dance class, occasionally getting up to demonstrate. Seungmin just enjoys the presence of his friends. It’s not often that he gets to spend time with people his age, in his grade. It’s nice, being able to talk about things that only their year knows (mostly because of their class group page) and share stories that no one else in the group would know or appreciate.

Finally, Felix and Hyunjin settle down, and Jisung decides he’s full (for now) and they just sprawl on the blanket, talking about anything that comes to mind, anything that isn’t school. Which is how they get onto the topic of dating.

“Wait, I’m the only single person in our friend group?” Hyunjin scrambles upright, staring at the three of them in disbelief. “How did I not know that?” They burst out laughing at the mock offended look on his face, Jisung and Felix turning to each other to smack each other’s shoulders. Seungmin just throws his head back and laughs, a full-bellied laugh that’s freeing, if only for a few minutes. It’s not long before Hyunjin descends into his own giggles.

“Nah, we didn’t plan it like that,” Jisung finally says. “We were all friends first... actually, wait no, that’s not true. Changbin and Seungmin were dating before we all became friends. But after that, first was Minho and Chan, and then Woojin and Felix, and just last month me and Jeongin started dating.”

“They took _forever,_ ” Felix groans dramatically, flopping an arm over his face.

Seungmin nods, sitting up. It was too. “It was a year of pining and Jisung volunteering to get groceries every week and lame grocery store pick up lines. If it had been any longer we would’ve had to throw another couple in a closet.”

Hyunjin stares, clearly trying to figure out if he was joking or not. Seungmin hums thoughtfully. Hyunjin is really adorable, now that he thinks about it.

Chuckling, Jisung pipes up, “He’s not joking. It’s how we got Woojin and Felix to date.”

Felix turns bright red, setting off another round of laughter and jokes. Seungmin is all too aware of the contemplative look in Hyunjin’s eyes whenever his gaze lands on him.

* * *

It’s the next game night that Seungmin notices something off about Changbin.

They’re playing Mario Party this time, and have split up into teams to play the four-player game, with the only rule being that couples couldn’t be on a team. It becomes a battle as everyone tries to make their own teams and any perceived advantages (like 3RACHA being a team) gets shot down. In the end, the teams consist of Seungmin and Chan; Felix, Jeongin and Jisung; Minho and Woojin; and Hyunjin and Changbin.

The game starts with chaos as per usual, with people arguing over which way to go or what their strategy should be or even who holds the controller. Eventually though, they settle down, and Seungmin starts noticing things. He may not be a psychology major, but analyzing book characters and writing realistic characters has given him a good insight into understanding body language and reading people, especially his friends. Which is why he can tell almost immediately that something’s up with his [fake] boyfriend.

Changbin’s usually a bit shy with new people and new friends. It’s been a month, yes, but they’ve only seen Hyunjin a handful of times, so it’s natural for Changbin to be at least a little hesitant. But he’s not. He leans into Hyunjin’s touch, laughs easily at his jokes, gives him giant smiles. It doesn’t make Seungmin jealous (not that he has any right to be) but it does make him curious.

When they finish the game (the Felix/Jeongin/Jisung team wins--it’s either Felix’s gaming skill or Jeongin’s natural luck that cancels Jisung’s ineptitude at gaming, Seungmin’s not sure) and move onto dinner. It’s while they’re eating, conversations flowing and everyone talking over each other, that Seungmin takes this chance to talk to his [fake] boyfriend.

He twists around in his spot in Changbin’s lap (‘in his lap’ is a loose definition, but he’s definitely close enough to lean back and cuddle into him, so it counts) to give him a curious look. “What?” the older asks.

“Are you okay?” Seungmin’s voice is low, careful not to be overheard.

“Yeah, why do you ask?” Changbin replies.

He raises an eyebrow as if to say, _Why do you think?_

There are a few beats of silence before Changbin sighs. “I’ll tell you later, okay?”

Seungmin doesn’t want to accept that. If something’s bothering Changbin, he wants to know now before it really starts bothering him. Changbin, that is, not Seungmin; Changbin tends to get lost in his head, tormented by inner demons until Seungmin talks it out of him like an exorcist, only less cool and more serious because there are no actual demons. Sometimes people’s worst enemies are themselves.

Finally, he relents. “Okay,” he sighs, defeated. Game night isn’t the best time to have an intimate conversation anyway. 

Changbin presses a reassuring kiss to Seungmin’s lips. “Later, I promise.”

* * *

They still haven’t talked about it.

It’s been two months since Hyunjin first joined their game night and three weeks since that incident and not _once_ have they had the opportunity to talk about it. It’s not that they’re bad at communicating, it’s just that university starts draining the life out of its students the moment syllabus week ends and classes _really_ begin. Changbin’s a senior, and while he can enjoy his classes more because they’re more specialized (and because he’s almost done with gen eds, lucky bastard), he has projects due every week and a senior thesis to work on. Seungmin isn't much better: double majoring in English Literature and Professional Writing isn’t exactly easy. They spend most of their free time studying at the library or holed up in the studio, with barely more than a hello/goodbye kiss as they pass each other.

When they _do_ spend time together (usually with their friends because they’ve already spent so much time alone that they would die if they had to for any longer) Seungmin is quick to notice little signs. Something’s up with Changbin.

And it has something to do with Hyunjin.

Changbin is overwhelmingly fond of Hyunjin. It’s not really a surprise; every one of their friends is whipped for the new dancer, even Seungmin. But there’s something about the way Changbin’s eyes sparkle when he stares at Hyunjin or the way he listens to every word the younger says or even the way he sometimes tends to Hyunjin’s needs before Seungmin’s.

If he didn’t know better, he’d say Changbin has a crush on Hyunjin. And he doesn’t know better, because he knows it’s the truth. 

What he doesn’t know is his own reaction. He feels like he’s both heartbroken and accepting, and it doesn’t make any sense. Why does he feel heartbroken if he and Changbin were technically only fake dating? Why does he feel like it’s okay if Changbin liked Hyunjin because it was adorable, charming Hyunjin? He wants so badly to ask Changbin, to sit him down and interrogate him until he gets answers, but he can’t get answers if he doesn’t have questions. If he doesn’t know what’s going on with himself, then Changbin certainly won’t.

Chan finds him on the little balcony in their apartment, wrapped in a warm blanket and absentmindedly humming a song. “Hey,” he greets softly, hoping not to disturb the younger.

Seungmin jolts, turning to face him. “Hi,” he murmurs. “How are you? How’s work?”

“Fine,” Chan shrugs. “Work’s great. I get to work on music all day without distractions. Beats college, that’s for sure.”

“Like you didn’t do that anyway in college, classes be damned,” Seungmin teases. 

Chan just rolls his eyes. Seungmin knows that the older knows something’s up, but he doesn’t push. He just sits beside him and stares at the view, humming along with Seungmin when he recognizes the song or just making one up to bother him.

Finally, Seungmin decides that enough is enough and announces, “Changbin and I aren’t really dating.”

Chan chokes. Violently. On his own spit. Seungmin pounds his back, looking around for any clues how to help people who are non-lethally choking. To be fair, though, if anyone were to die from choking on their own spit, it’d be Chan. Or Jisung. Probably Jisung.

When Chan finally regains his composure, he turns to Seungmin. “What do you mean you and Changbin aren’t dating?”

He shrugs. “We just aren’t,” he says. “We’ve been faking it since my freshman year.”

Chan doesn’t look convinced. “How? You guys have been sleeping in the same bed since we moved in. You guys kiss. Fuck, we overheard you guys having _sex_ last weekend! How is that _not_ dating?”

“Friends with benefits?” Seungmin jokes, hurriedly adding once he sees Chan’s unamused face, “It’s not that there aren’t... _feelings._ It’s just that... we never really talked about when we started having feelings, but they’re there? At least, I think they’re there? They seem like they’re there but I’m not sure because we didn’t talk about it. Like, we can talk about literally everything else, but not about our relationship.” He slumps, upset. He knows it makes no sense, but he has no idea how to explain it to Chan.

“I guess I can see that,” Chan muses, to Seungmin’s surprise. “People usually are better with helping other people with their feelings than their own. So, you guys have been fake dating slash real dating this entire time?”

Seungmin nods. “Yeah,” he breathes. “And it didn’t really matter much before, but now...”

“Now...” Chan prompts, his voice reassuring.

“Now there’s Hyunjin,” he confesses quietly. “And I think Changbin likes Hyunjin.”

* * *

Seungmin stares blankly at the wall, savoring the warmth of his bed while he processes his talk with Chan.

The older had been overwhelmingly supportive and helpful, gently pointing out that he shouldn’t jump to conclusions without first talking to Changbin, but that his feelings were legitimate and he shouldn’t be ashamed of them. They’d talked for two hours, and Seungmin had shared his entire [fake] relationship with Chan, explaining why they’d decided to fake date and the potential points where their [fake] relationship transformed into something more genuine. 

He hadn’t talked much about his feelings about Changbin and Hyunjin, just that he was conflicted and didn’t know what was real and what wasn’t. Chan had just patted his shoulder and said that he should just take his time to figure it out and that how a relationship started didn’t dictate where it had to go.

It’s a relief to talk about this with someone, Seungmin decides. But when he’s alone at night, the doubts start creeping back in and the idea of having to go through the same internal conflict day in and day out is _exhausting._

Seungmin’s alerted to the sound of the front door opening. There’s some shuffling, some low mumbles, and then he hears movement. Most of the sound fades away--probably Chan and Jisung going to the bathroom across from their room to get ready for bed--but a familiar set of footsteps head to the bathroom across from his room. He listens to the familiar sounds of Changbin brushing his teeth and washing his face and smiles to himself as his boyfriend returns to his--their--room, changing quickly before sliding into bed behind him.

He pretends to stir, rolling over and opening his eyes slightly, gazing sleepily up at his boyfriend. “Binnie,” he mumbles, wrapping an arm around the older’s waist.

“Minnie,” Changbin breaths, pressing a soft kiss to the other’s forehead. “Did I wake you up?”

He shakes his head. “Couldn’t sleep. Missed you.” Then, before he chickens out, he adds, “love you.”

Seungmin can feel Changbin tense under him. He braces himself as subtly as he can for the other’s reaction, feigning sleep. He feels bad for tricking him, but he just wants to test the water, see if his hypothesis is correct before he makes a fool out of himself and confronts Changbin. Call it a social experiment.

Unfortunately for him, he falls asleep before he hears Changbin’s answer.

* * *

The next few days are hard, to say the least.

Seungmin feels so embarrassed. What is he doing, testing his boyfriend about his feelings? He knows Changbin well enough that if he wants to end their [fake] relationship, he will. He’s mature enough that he won’t lead Seungmin on or cheat on him. Seungmin saying he loved him when even he wasn’t sure of his own feelings is cruel and only makes Seungmin even more miserable.

He doesn’t deserve Changbin. He picks on him all the time and nags him for dirtying their bed and never really apologizes unless it’s serious. He was the one to propose fake dating in the first place so he should’ve been the one to end it when feelings started becoming involved. If he’d done that, then maybe Changbin would be with Hyunjin by now. Maybe Seungmin wouldn’t have had to deal with this jumble of feelings and maybe would’ve gotten over it. Maybe things would’ve been better for both of them.

Embarrassed and miserable and confused, Seungmin makes himself even more scarce. He leaves his apartment early in the morning, stays in the library until late, makes excuses to skip game night (that were purposely true, so that he felt less guilty about lying to his friends). He does his best to avoid any private confrontation by his friends, finding secluded study rooms and grabbing meals with classmates. He knows that his friends have picked up that something’s wrong, but most of them seem to be giving him space for now. His roommates, though, have been blowing up his phone, asking where he is and if he’s even staying at the apartment anymore (he is, but only when he knows everyone’s out or asleep.)

To his surprise, Hyunjin’s the one who finds him first, studying in one of the upper levels of the Engineering building, where it’s dead silent but not empty.

“Seungmin?” Hyunjin calls, a little too loudly, making Seungmin jolt and pull his headphones out of his ears. “Oh, sorry,” he says, quieter, then, “mind if I sit with you?”

He so desperately wants to say no, to say that he’s busy and brush Hyunjin off, but despite how he’s been acting, he actually doesn’t want to alienate his friends. Hyunjin included. So he gestures for the other to take a seat.

Hyunjin takes a few moments to get settled, pulling out notebooks and thick textbooks that make Seungmin’s jaw drop. Finally, he catches Seungmin’s eyes and asks, “What? Too nerdy?”

Wordlessly, he shakes his head.

“I’m guessing you’re not an engineer, then? I figured I would’ve seen you here before, engineering students usually keep to themselves and hole themselves up in here,” Hyunjin continues.

Mindlessly, Seungmin retorts, “What does that make you?” His face immediately flushes. He isn’t close enough to Hyunjin to tease him, what was he doing?

Without missing a beat, Hyunjin replies, “an exception.” 

Seungmin gapes for a beat too long, before coming to his senses and closing his mouth. Across from him, Hyunjin giggles, and he feels his heart stutter inexplicably. “Wha-What kind of engineer are you?”

“Civil Engineering,” Hyunjin says, “although I specifically want to be a structural engineer and build bridges and shit. Dance is only my minor, but for some fucking reason that’s all anyone knows about me.” Seungmin can’t help but chuckle a little at the swearing which sets off the other’s laughter until they both stifling giggles for the sake of the prospective engineers diligently studying within earshot. When their laughter subsides, Hyunjin asks, “What about you?”

“Double major in Literature and Professional Writing,” Seungmin replies. “A lot of reading too, but less formulas and more plots. And a _lot_ more writing.”

“I’ve always hated word problems,” Hyunjin says solemnly, which sets off another round of laughter. 

With the excuse of not wanting to bother the others in the room anymore, the two of them leave to grab lunch. They go to a park kiosk that sells Korean food, ordering lunch and retreating to an empty picnic table to eat.

It’s while Seungmin’s mouth is full of tteokbokki that Hyunjin asks, “Is everything okay with you? You don’t come to game night much anymore.”

Seungmin almost chokes, thankfully swallowing the food before he spits it all out at Hyunjin. What can he say? Hyunjin is the last person he wants to talk to about this. He’s a kind person, looking out for a guy he doesn’t really know that well, but he’s also directly/indirectly involved with his issues.

He takes a sip of water to give him some time, and then replies, slowly, “Yeah, sorry about that. I’ve been working through some... personal stuff.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Hyunjin apologizes. “I didn’t mean to pry.”

Seungmin shakes his head. “No, it’s okay. You didn’t know.”

“Does Changbin know?”

“No,” Seungmin grits his teeth at the reminder. 

Hyunjin seems to pick up on it. The smile slides off his face. “If it’s okay for me to ask... are... you two okay?”

Seungmin has no idea how to respond. _It’s just me, Changbin doesn’t owe me any romantic feelings because we’re not actually dating?_ Or maybe, _No, I’m gonna break up with him because he’s in love with you?_ Or perhaps even, _I don’t know what you mean, we were never dating._ There’s no right answer in the marathon of thoughts running through his head. Finally, he croaks out a quiet, “I’m not sure.”

Hyunjin’s face turns even more sympathetic, and he reaches over slowly, extending his hand for Seungmin to hold. “I know we only just became friends, but I’m here if you need me.”

“Thanks,” Seungmin sinks in his seat. He has half a mind to just go back to his work and avoid his problems, but instead he blurts out, “Do you think Changbin likes me?”

The other blinks, taken aback. “Um... yes? Y-You’ve been dating for two years, haven’t you?”

“Yeah,” Seungmin can’t even look at Hyunjin, too embarrassed at his mistakes. Still, he continues, “but... I don’t know, sometimes people only stay with their partners because it’s convenient. What’s to say Changbin’s not one of them?”

Hyunjin has the audacity to throw his head back and _giggle,_ a robust, bell-like sound that fills the room with warmth. The volume caused some passerby to turn and look, swooning once they realized who was laughing. Seungmin doesn’t know what was so funny about his insecurities, but he certainly doesn’t appreciate the laughing. 

Hyunjin grips Seungmin’s hand tighter when he goes to pull it away and he stops laughing. “Seungmin, do you not know how much Changbin talks about you? I’ve never seen someone more in love than him.”

That’s surprising. He wasn’t aware that Changbin spent that much time with Hyunjin, nor that he talked so much about _him._ What was he supposed to think, that his [fake] boyfriend would gush about him as if they were anything more than friends or they’d never left their hypothetical honeymoon period? “Are you sure?”

The other shakes his head in disbelief. “Literally. Changbin’s head over heels for you, Seungmin. Surely he’s like that at home? You guys live together, don’t you?”

“I mean... yeah, sure, but...” Seungmin’s usually better with words, but his brain suddenly goes empty and he can’t formulate a reasonable response. 

“But...?”

Seungmin sighs. He doesn’t want to fully lie to Hyunjin, so he settles for a half-truth. “It’s Changbin’s senior year. I don’t know his plans for next year, if he’ll work in the same company as Chan or if he’ll try to start fresh somewhere else. I don’t know his plans, and I don’t know where I fit in them.” _And I don’t know where_ **_you_ ** _fit in them._

Still holding his hand, Hyunjin runs his thumb over the back of Seungmin’s hand in a soothing manner. Seungmin can feel his cheeks flush. This boy was too much. “It’s normal to have insecurities about relationships, no matter how long you’ve been together,” Hyunjin says softly, “but what matters is how you deal with it. If this is what’s been bothering you, Seungmin, then you should talk to Changbin about it. He’ll listen to you, no matter how ridiculous or stupid it sounds to you.”

It’s basically the same thing Chan said, but inexplicably, Seungmin feels more encouraged to go home and actually talk to Changbin than avoid him. There’s just something about Hyunjin that makes him feel like life could be simple.

He understands better why Changbin would fall in love with Hyunjin. Seungmin himself might be a little in love with Hyunjin.

But first, he needs to apologize to everyone.

* * *

Seungmin takes a deep breath. He doesn’t know why standing in front of his own apartment at a reasonable time freaks him out so much. Why the thought of apologizing to his roommates, his kind, wonderful, understanding friends (one of which is his [fake] boyfriend) is so terrifying that he’s frozen in place.

He can do this. He’s already texted everyone, apologizing for being MIA for a few days. Now he just needs to go in, apologize and say he was going through some stuff, and then ask Changbin if he can speak to him private. Just three things, really. Three things and then he can be free of all this relationship anxiety. One, two, three.

He opens the door. In the living room, Changbin and Jisung are writing what must be new lyrics while Chan is in the kitchen making ramyeon. They all turn towards the door, shock written all over their faces. They must’ve turned off their phones to work.

Seungmin swallows thickly, and greets, “Hi guys.”

“Holy shit, you’re not a ghost,” Jisung blurts out, standing up the moment Seungmin spoke. He rushes over, giving Seungmin a tight hug. “You’re actually back, Seungmin!”

Seungmin felt a pang of guilt in his stomach. “I’m sorry I just disappeared like that, Jisung,” he murmured, returning the hug. “I was... going through some stuff.”

Jisung simply smacked Seungmin’s back hard, causing him to yelp. “You know you can always tell us if you need space or if you need help. Don’t make us think you’re dead next time, okay?”

“Okay,” he nodded, burying his face in Jisung’s shoulder.

Turning off the stove, Chan walks over and pats Seungmin’s back. “Glad to see you’re doing better, Seungminnie,” he says quietly.

Still frozen on the living room couch is Changbin, staring at Seungmin with so many emotions swimming in his eyes that Seungmin can’t determine any of them. Changbin... looks terrible. The eyebags that Seungmin is used to seeing after all-nighters look more like body bags than anything else. His skin looks pallid, his frame gaunt, his posture stiff. Changbin looks like death warmed over, more dead than Chan has ever looked, even at his worst.

Changbin looks like Seungmin picked up a knife and killed his own [fake] boyfriend.

Jisung and Chan draw away from the hug, and Seungmin stumbles closer to Changbin, stopping a respectable distance away. “Hi, Changbin.” Seungmin breathes shakily.

“Hey,” Changbin rumbles. Seungmin’s heart aches at his boyfriend’s hoarse voice. Had his absence affected him that much?

Still he presses forward. “Can... can we talk? In our room?”

This finally causes Changbin to move. “Yeah,” he croaks, standing up.

Seungmin glances at the other two and sees Jisung’s concerned face and Chan mouthing “fighting!” before they disappear into their room. He’s grateful, honestly; he needs all the luck he can get.

Their room is more disheveled than Seungmin remembers it being. He was probably too focused on sneaking in and out of his own room to pay any attention to how messy it was becoming. Changbin sits on the edge of the bed, gaze trained Seungmin like the younger was going to evaporate in front of his eyes. Seungmin didn’t blame him.

Seungmin lingered at the door, trying to figure out where to start. Would his words be enough for all the pain he’d clearly put Changbin through?

“What did you want to talk about, Seungmin?” Changbin sighs, exhausted.

Right. No more beating around the bush. No more hiding. Changbin didn’t deserve anything but honesty. “I want to talk about us,” Seungmin says finally. “I want to talk about... what we are.”

The older frowns. “What... we are?” 

Seungmin nods. “Because we were fake dating first, right? It shouldn’t have lasted longer than a year, tops. But neither of us has called it off, and now we’re living together and doing coupley things and... and it doesn’t feel fake anymore. At least... not for me.” He takes a deep breath, and says, “I have genuine feelings for you, Changbin. I’m... I’m in love with you. And I need to know where we stand.”

Seungmin didn’t know what he was expecting. For Changbin to immediately jump up and proclaim his own feelings for Seungmin, for him to scoff and say they weren’t anything at all, something like that, for him to get mad that _that_ was what was bothering him the whole time.

He doesn’t expect the silence. Changbin’s face is blank, but his eyes flicker back and forth, clearly processing Seungmin’s words and coming up with his own answer. It’s too much. Changbin is never afraid to speak his mind, especially when it;s just him and Seungmin. His mind runs a mile a minute and he can rap any random verse in almost the same amount of time. What could be so difficult for him to process that it would take so long?

Finally, Changbin’s eyes zero in on Seungmin’s, and he reaches out, a wordless request in the gesture. Slowly, Seungmin approaches, with all the carefulness of someone approaching a wounded animal, and takes Changbin’s hand, only to be yanked forward into the older’s embrace.

“I’m so sorry,” Changbin murmurs into Seungmin’s ears. Changbin is shaking, Seungmin realizes belatedly, trembling like a leaf under his hands. “I should’ve told you, I should’ve said something instead of leading you on like this.”

A rush of ice-cold water washes over his soul, making Seungmin shake. “Wha-What do you mean? Are-” _Are you breaking up with me?_

“I’m in love with you, Seungmin,” Changbin says. Seungmin’s heart pounds. “I have been for a while now. I’m apologizing because I should’ve made things clear before. I-I just forgot that we started as something fake because everything felt so real so quickly and you were responding the same way and it just felt so natural.”

Seungmin’s usually not a crier. He’s a sympathetic crier, but on his own, he doesn’t get emotional enough to cry. But this is probably the closest he’s gotten to crying not only tears, but tears of actual happiness. He leans back so that he can look at his [hopefully no longer fake] boyfriend. “Really?”

Changbin nods. “I always considered our relationship being real, Seungminnie. I’m sorry I just assumed you knew that and thought the same.”

“I should’ve been more responsible, should’ve said something first,” Seungmin interrupts, shaking his head. “I’m sorry. Let’s say we’re both at fault?”

His fake boyfriend laughs breathily, eyes slightly misty. “Give me a kiss and we’ll call it even,” he challenges. 

Seungmin and Changbin have shared countless kisses before; at first to sell the act, and then later because it became natural, a force of habit. The moment Seungmin leans in, though, it feels entirely different. This kiss feels newer, like it’s their first kiss instead of their millionth. It feels more real this time, more passionate, more explosive. 

Changbin leans back so that he’s lying on the bed, pulling Seungmin with him, their lips still connected. Seungmin reaches down, shoves Changbin up the bed and climbs on top of him, dirty clothes be damned. He deepens their kiss, swallowing Changbin’s startled moan and gripping his shirt to pull him even closer.

Seungmin pulls away to kiss down his jaw and press biting kisses to his neck (Changbin loved neck kisses but hated hickies so Seungmin never left any marks). Under him, he can feel his [real!] boyfriend’s chest heave as he tries to catch his breath. “Seungminnie, do y-you really, _ah,_ want t-to have sex right now?”

“Why not, Changbin?” Seungmin murmurs, hands fumbling to get Changbin’s shirt off so that he has more access to his boyfriend’s chest (where he could get away with a hickey or two) and pulling his own shirt off as well. “We’ve just confessed to each other. We’re making our relationship official. Why not celebrate?”

“Fair enough,” Changbin groans, wrapping his arms around Seungmin. In one fluid motion, he flips them over, making the younger squeal as he’s manhandled further up the bed until he’s lying on the pillows, with Changbin hovering over him, caging him in. Seungmin may love teasing the hell out of his [still real!] boyfriend, but the view from here is always breathtaking.

A wicked smile on his face, Changbin dives down to take his breath away.

* * *

Post-sex cuddles are probably one of Seungmin’s favorite parts of having sex with Changbin. The pleasant, hazy feeling after orgasming, the warmth of someone else’s body next to his... it felt even better now that feelings were [officially] involved. Everything felt more intense; he felt more sensitive and receptive, and he could tell Changbin felt the same. Funny how all it took was verbal confirmation.

Normally, Seungmin would’ve long ago drifted off to Changbin’s hand rubbing comforting circles in his back and his raspy voice humming a soft lullaby under his breath, but the revelation of their mutual feelings (and Seungmin having come home later than this _every single day,_ but that’s much less poetic) made him want to commit every moment into his memory.

“Minnie?” Changbinnie calls.

“Mm?” Seungmin tilts his head up, taking in the dopey, soft smile on his boyfriend’s lips.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“You already have.” Fingers pinch his sides. Seungmin giggles, trying to get away. “Ah, stop it, I’m sorry! You can ask your question!”

Changbin doesn’t answer right away, leaning down to steal a kiss. Not that Seungmin’s complaining. When he pulls back, he asks, “What changed?”

Seungmin blinks. “Huh?”

“What made you realize that we never confessed to each other?” Changbin clarifies.

“It was when Hyunjin...” _Wait a minute._ “it was when we met Hyunjin. I thought you were acting weird... which you still haven’t explained.”

The hands on Seungmin’s back still. “Oh... right.” There’s something in his voice that a few days ago, before he’d had that talk with Hyunjin, he would’ve been scared of. But now, he feels comfortable. No matter how Changbin feels about Hyunjin, he’s in love with Seungmin. He can be confident of that. “I...

He squeezes Changbin’s waist reassuringly. “You have a crush on Hyunjin?”

Changbin tenses at his words, his muscles freezing under Seungmin’s touch. “Seungmin, I-I’m sorry, I know I just told you that I was in love with you, and now-”

Seungmin shushes him. “I know, it’s okay,” he murmurs. _Maybe..._ “Can... can I propose something? Something that might sound crazy but... might work?”

Bemused, the older shrugs. “Okay, go ahead.”

“If you... if you want to date Hyunjin, you can.” Seungmin knows he sounds crazy, knows that Changbin will think he’s crazy, but honestly? It seems like the best solutions.

“No,” Changbin shakes his head immediately. “I’m not going to throw away two years of us dating in any capacity just to date someone new. Hyunjin is just a crush. I’m in love with you.”

“I’m not saying you need to break up with me,” Seungmin insists, though he feels his heart swell at Changbin’s words. He should probably get used to that feeling now that they were [real] boyfriends. “I’m saying... if you want to date Hyunjin and me... you can.”

The expression on Changbin is nothing short of comical. Seungmin would laugh if he wasn’t proposing polyamory, or at least open dating, to his boyfriend of two years. “I’ve... been thinking about this ever since we became friends with Hyunjin,” Seungmin begins, eyes locked on Changbin’s collarbone. “Because... you like Hyunjin? But you never once broke up with me, fake dating or not, and you never cheated on me. A-And this isn’t me rewarding you for your loyalty or anything sick like that, just... I don’t want to hold you back from having a natural relationship that didn’t start off fake like we did.” His fingers tap a random beat on Chanbin’s back, drumming nervously.

“Seungmin.” He doesn’t look up. “Seungminnie.” The drumming fingers intensify. “Minnie, look at me.” Fingers grip his chin lightly and tilt him upwards to meet Changbin’s eyes. “I won’t date Hyunjin. It’s not fair to you, to see your boyfriend dating someone else.”

Maybe past Seungmin (if he even had the courage--or thought, really--to suggest something crazy like this) would’ve let it go at this point, probably too pleased to continue. But Seungmin knows that Changbin fell hard for Hyunjin. Yes, he loves Seungmin. But the feelings he has for Hyunjin aren’t some fleeting crush. And maybe, just maybe, Seungmin is starting to develop some serious feelings for Hyunjin.

“What if... what if I said I might like Hyunjin too?” Seungmin presses. Changbin’s mouth drops open. “I’m not... I don’t like him quite as much as you do but... he’s... something special, isn’t he?”

Changbin’s mouth opens and closes a few more times, mind whirling at the speed of light, before letting out a quiet laugh. “Yeah, I think so too. But... are you sure? You’re not just saying this because you know I like Hyunjin?”

Seungmin shook his head. “I like Hyunjin. He just... he fits in so well with our friends. But he’s so kind, and passionate, and sweet. He cuddles you and teases me. He’s the perfect middle ground between us, but he’s his own person, you know? He loves affection more than anyone I know, he wants to design bridges and choreograph dances and work hard in both and he succeeds in both. I just... I don’t want him to think he can’t be with either of us because we’re dating each other.”

“Me neither,” in the little moonlight, Seungmin can see a gleam in Changbin’s eyes, “but let’s not think about it tonight. Let’s just enjoy each other for now, and then we can figure out this whole Hyunjin thing later.”

“Okay,” Seungmin nods, fatigue finally hitting him.

“C’mere,” Changbin grunts, pulling Seungmin even closer, until Seungmin can’t tell whose breath he hears, or whose heartbeat he feels. The older presses one more kiss to Seungmin’s lips.

He sighs, content. “I love you, Changbin.”

“I love you too, Seungminnie.”

They fall asleep together, boyfriends at last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if the last scene (Seungmin negotiating Changbin dating Hyunjin) seems weird. I didn't want it to sound manipulative in any way, and I hope it doesn't come off that way :(


	2. What happens when you’re so scared of losing him and you suddenly lose him?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So, shall we plan our attack?” Seungmin grins, finally relieved. 
> 
> Changbin rolls his eyes. “Minnie, we want to date Hyunjin, not fight him." 
> 
> “All’s fair in love and war,” is Seungmin’s only response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god... I don't know why this took so long. I wrote so much at random points of time that I actually forget writing some scenes until I read it over again.
> 
> Lightly edited... I think. Grammarly doesn't automatically work on a 47-page Google Doc and I'm not about to enable it now.

For a few days, Seungmin let himself enjoy finally being Changbin’s lover. He can’t say they’re now boyfriends because technically Changbin’s  _ been _ his boyfriend, and their friends (aside from Chan) don’t know that they had been fake boyfriends this entire time, but that’s irrelevant. What matters is that Seungmin can freely express his feelings for Changbin, and it feels  _ amazing.  _ If their friends notice how clingy Seungmin’s gotten, they haven’t said anything.

It also means that he and Hyunjin get closer, purely because Seungmin had told him about his insecurities with Changbin. To be fair, it wasn’t the entire truth, but still. It was a vulnerable side of Seungmin that he didn’t let his friends see a lot, and Hyunjin, someone he’d met not too long ago, had been the one to see it. Now, Hyunjin and Seungmin are almost attached at the hip. Seungmin is the first person Hyunjin greets when he comes to game nights and the first one Hyunjin goes to for cuddles. They’ve discovered their mutual love of photography, so they often have long extensive conversations about what photos they’ve taken and the photographers and photography instagrams they like.

That’s not to say that Hyunjin’s not close to Changbin or anyone else. Hyunjin still drags Innie out for food, still rants about dance with Minho and Felix, and helps Woojin and Chan with cooking... when he’s not begging for food with Jisung. Hyunjin still clings to Changbin, backhugging him any chance he gets or leaning his head on his shoulder when he’s tired. The only difference is that every time he does it, he gives Seungmin a look, as if asking for permission.

Seungmin nods every time because  _ fuck  _ does Hyunjin look good curled up with Changbin like that. He doesn’t even mind getting stuck with the octopus that is Jisung when Jeongin isn’t in the mood for cuddles (which honestly is more times than not) during the game nights that have turned to movie nights. It just makes Seungmin want them to be together, the three of them.

He knows they have to wait, though. He’s just fixed things with Changbin, which Hyunjin knows about. They need to establish and stabilize their relationship before pursuing Hyunjin. It’s just that the longer they wait, the more he falls for Hyunjin, and the more impatient Seungmin becomes. Every time he mentions this to Changbin the older laughs and makes a comment about how he thought  _ he  _ was supposed to be the one more in love with Hyunjin, to which Seungmin scoffs and says that it isn’t a competition, but if it was, he’d be winning.

It really doesn’t accomplish much other than Changbin pinning Seungmin down and then tickling him until he’s crying for mercy. And then maybe they make love, but that’s beside the point.

* * *

Changbin finally brings up Hyunjin during one of their dates. (Not that Seungmin  _ wanted  _ Changbin to bring up someone else at their dates, just that he was waiting for any signal to go ahead with the get-Hyunjin-to-join-their-relationship plan)

“So... you and Hyunjin have been getting closer, right?” Changbin asks awkwardly, in between mouthfuls of spaghetti.

Seungmin nods. “I can safely say he’s one of my closest friends now, yeah.” He’s trying not to be hopeful, but he’s really hopeful right now. “You’re pretty close too, right?”

“Yeah,” Changbin shifts in his seat. “Did you know he can rap?”

“He mentioned it in passing,” Seungmin says, his leg beginning to shake anxiously. “Are you thinking of using him for one of your projects?”

The older shrugs. “I want to, but he’s been having some trouble. I’ve been helping him with his vocalization.”

“That’s nice of you.” Seungmin takes a bite of his lasagne, praying to any deity he can think of that Changbin gets the hint and  _ gets to the point.  _

Fortunately, Changbin blurts out, “I think we should start trying to date Hyunjin,” and somehow slams his knee on the underside of the table. Thankfully the restaurant they’re in is packed and loud, so no one cares that Changbin’s an awkward bean trying to tell his boyfriend to start flirting with another guy. 

Honestly, Seungmin just finds it endearing. And likes to tease him about it. And then gets attacked for it. He hopes Hyunjin finds it endearing too.

“So, shall we plan our attack?” Seungmin grins, finally relieved.

Changbin rolls his eyes. “Minnie, we want to  _ date  _ Hyunjin, not fight him.”

“All’s fair in love and war,” is Seungmin’s only response.

* * *

The plan is pretty simple, to be honest.

For all the fuss Seungmin raised about getting Hyunjin to join them, their plan is kinda anticlimactic. But feelings and emotions need to be dealt with carefully. Changbin looked like one touch would kill him when Seungmin finally decided to confront Changbin about their relationship, and they were in a more normal, conventional [then-fake] relationship. He doesn’t want a repeat with Hyunjin. But he also doesn’t want to be so subtle that Hyunjin misses the signs, either. Changbin wins in the end, though, and they start off small.

They sit next to Hyunjin. All the time.

The moment Hyunjin walks into their apartment for game night, one of them is dragging him down to sit with them. They’re eating dinner? They’re on either side of Hyunjin. They’re playing games? They gang up on Hyunjin (although admittedly it’s mostly Seungmin challenging Changbin to see who kills Hyunjin first because in their heads games = kill the ones they love and games = competition.)

Hyunjin, on his part, takes it in stride. He’s a little confused, yes, but he seems to enjoy the attention, even if it seems to be from two unattainable people.

“Changbin, I  _ told  _ you this picture looked fantastic.”

“I’m not saying it’s  _ not,”  _ Changbin argues. “It’s a good picture, but you keep saying all these great things about it and I just don’t see it.” Everyone else has long since tuned them out, starting their own conversation that’s much,  _ much  _ louder than theirs.

Seungmin scoffs. “That’s because you clearly don’t listen to me when I talk about photography. I pay attention to you when you tell me about your 3RACHA stuff!”

“That’s because you’re a singer! I know you can understand this stuff!” Changbin retorts.

Hyunjin, half amused and half concerned, interrupts them both to ask, “Seungmin, you sing?”

Seungmin averts his eyes as Changbin nods. “Yeah. You know  _ Young Wings,  _ right? He’s the one singing in that.”

“Wait that was  _ you?”  _ The awe in Hyunjin’s voice is palpable. 

Seungmin fidgets awkwardly for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, that’s me.”

“Oh my god that song is amazing. You’re a good singer,” Hyunjin says plainly, catching Seungmin’s eye. He can feel his face erupt into flames.

His  _ wonderful  _ boyfriend points it out gleefully, “Seungmin hates being complimented on his singing voice, compliment him more!”

“Still doesn’t change the fact that you don’t listen to your boyfriend when he talks about the stuff he likes,” Seungmin shoots back pitifully, internally cringing at the lame comeback. See, this is why he hates it when he gets flustered. It gives Changbin the upper hand because Seungmin’s brain is too busy malfunctioning to come up with a retort.

This time, though, Changbin doesn’t take the advantage. He leans back and shrug, a smug smile on his lips as he continues, “Well now you have Hyunjin. Go talk to him about photography and leave me alone.”

“Fine, I will,” Seungmin says stubbornly, leaning into Hyunjin’s side. “Hyunjinnie’s my new best friend.”

The fact that Changbin’s not only Seungmin’s boyfriend, but his best friend, goes unsaid. They don’t want Hyunjin to think he’s their third wheel when they want him to just be  _ theirs.  _

* * *

The next step is spending time with Hyunjin, just the three of them. Seungmin insists it’s to test their chemistry as a group of three. They’re careful not to make it seem too datelike, but still be kinda datelike. It’s a fine line they’re toeing, but they’re doing their best to be careful.

Maybe a little too careful. Was going bowling considered datelike? Or was it too friendly? Does it become a date if Seungmin or Changbin insist on paying for all of them? Or will it just come off as a friendly thing? How much skinship is socially acceptable? How much skinship is  _ Hyunjin- _ acceptable?

Seungmin likes to consider himself Changbin’s exorcist, but Changbin just as easily serves as Seungmin’s exorcist.

“Minnie, calm down,” Changbin’s hands come down suddenly on Seungmin’s shoulders, making him almost fall off the couch. “I can hear you overthinking.”

“What do you mean?” Seungmin coughs, pretending to be confused. It doesn’t work (of course it doesn’t, they’ve fake dated for two years and live together.) Changbin scoffs and walks around to sit next to him. Seungmin sighs. “I’m just worried. Polyamory isn’t really a common thing, we could easily scare him off and ruin everything before we could even explain.”

“We just need to be careful,” Changbin says reassuringly, wrapping an arm around Seungmin’s shoulders. “Give him signs that we might be interested, and the moment we think he likes us back, we sit him down and explain everything. If we wait Hyunjin will think we’re leading him on. Communication is important in any relationship, especially polyamorous ones.”

Seungmin twists around so he can look at his boyfriend. “You sound like you have experience with this.”

Changbin chuckles. “ You know, there’s this wonderful thing called Google.”

Nevermind. Seungmin turns away, trying (and failing) to hide his pout. “Shut up.”

He feels more than hears Changbin’s amused repressed laughter before the older tilts Seungmin’s head up and kisses his boyfriend sweetly. “Relax, Minnie. I know what I’m doing.”

“Oh, so that’s why I didn’t know you liked me after two years of fake dating,” Seungmin teases.

Like usual, Changbin goes in for the tickle attack, and soon Seungmin’s too winded to come up with a retort.

* * *

“Seungmin, this place is gorgeous,” Hyunjin breathes, eyes wide as he takes in the conservatory. Each room is a thriving garden, with plants growing along the walls, flowers hanging from the ceiling, trees thriving by the path. There are little displays here and there, but it pales in comparison to the natural beauty around them.

“I know, right?” Seungmin says gleefully. “I can’t believe I haven’t taken you here yet. This is my favorite place to take photos.”

“This might be my new favorite place too, unless you can find a place I don’t have to pay to get into,” Hyunjin says absentmindedly, raising his camera to take another photo. “And you didn’t have to pay for me.”

“It’s not that much, anyways,” Seungmin waves off, too content to watch Hyunjin take pictures to take any of his own. “If you really want, you can pay for lunch.”

“Fair enough,” Hyunjin replies. He lowers his camera, looking at the photos on the screen. “Hey, these look really good.” He glances up, see Seungmin still standing there. “What are you doing?”

“Sorry, lost in thought,” Seungmin apologizes, not sorry at all. “Just thinking about how we’ve never actually gone to take pictures together.”

“You’re right, we haven’t,” Hyunjin grins. “We should go more often.”

He nods. “We should. Show me your pictures?”

Seungmin’s favorite thing about photography is that it captures the photographer’s relationship to their subjects. Lord knows how many pictures of Changbin he has, how he’s carefully captured his boyfriend in an intimate, loving light, fake boyfriend or not. Hyunjin’s shown him pictures of Kkami, and Seungmin already knew how much he loved his dog before Hyunjin even opened his mouth.

These photos are no different. Even though Hyunjin doesn’t have an emotional attachment to this place, it’s clear that he takes pride in his craft. Blossoming flowers seem to crawl out of the camera, like the camera is a well-placed mirror instead of a moment in time. Hyunjin’s adjusted the settings accordingly, making the colors vibrant in the dim lighting. Hyunjin’s captured the beauty of nature in a few shots, and it takes Seungmin’s breath away. 

“These are amazing, Hyunjin,” Seungmin shoots Hyunjin an awed smile, shifting imperceptibly closer to Hyunjin. “You’re incredibly talented.”

“Thanks,” Hyunjin blushes. “That means a lot to me.”

“C’mon, there’s still a lot of the conservatory to explore,” Seungmin says, tugging on Hyunjin’s arm. “Let’s go!”

When they leave the conservatory, Seungmin listens to Hyunjin ramble about how amazing the conservatory is and the pictures he’s taken.

He doesn’t mention that most of the photos he’s taken are of Hyunjin himself.

* * *

“I really wanted to kiss him then,” Seungmin laments, staring wistfully at the ceiling.

Changbin chuckles. “Tell me about it,” he says. “I was having difficulty with some rap lyrics, and then Hyunjin swoops in with this beautiful lyric and I wanted to thank him with a kiss.”

“Solidarity,” Seungmin cheers dryly, holding up a fist, which Changbin bumps with a laugh. “We should talk to him soon. I think he’s starting to notice.”

“Yeah,” Changbin nods. “We should.” He rolls over to face Seungmin, reaching out to brush the hair out of his face. “Cuddle?”

Seungmin smiles tiredly, rolling to Changbin and curling into his warmth. “Love you, Binnie.”

As he drifts off, he feels Changbin press a soft kiss into his hair. “Love you, my Seungminnie.”

* * *

“Oh my god calculus is going to kill me,” Hyunjin groans, slamming his head on the table.

Seungmin watches him with fond amusement. “You knew there would be a lot of math when you chose Engineering.”

“I  _ know,  _ but that doesn’t mean I have to  _ like  _ it,” Hyunjin whines, stretching his arms out like a cat. 

Seungmin can’t resist the urge to lean over and run his hands through his fluffy hair, smoothing it down when he finishes disheveling it. “You’re ridiculous,” he says, a soft smile on his face.

Hyunjin opens his eyes, a retort on his lips. When his eyes lock onto Seungmin’s, though, his smile falters. It must look strange to him, Seungmin realizes: his best friend, who’s very clearly taken, looking at him like he created Day6. He hadn’t, but the feeling is pretty damn close. God, why hadn’t he noticed Hyunjin before?

“What... what are you looking at?” Hyunjin’s voice comes out breathy, like he had been running. 

_ You,  _ Seungmin thinks. But he doesn’t want to overwhelm Hyunjin, so he shakes his head. “Nothing. But you’ll be fine. You’re hardworking, I’m sure you’ll figure it out. I’ll help you however I can.”

Hyunjin smiles, a gentler one this time. “Thank you. I know I can count on you.”

_ Always. _

* * *

They know it’s time to sit down and talk with Hyunjin when Woojin corners them.

“Hey Seungmin where’s your charger? My phone’s dying,” the oldest asks innocently, holding up his phone as proof.

“It’s in our room, let me go get it,” Seungmin falls for it, standing up and leaving Changbin and Hyunjin to follow Woojin. He grabs the charger from the outlet and turns back to Woojin, only to find the door closed and Woojin standing in front of it, arms crossed. “Woojin?”

“What are you doing?”

He blinks, confused. “Giving you... my charger?”

Woojin sighs, shaking his head. “I didn’t actually need your charger, I have mine. I just needed an excuse to get you alone.”

“B-But why-”

“What are you and Changbin doing with Hyunjin?” Woojin presses. “Did you think we wouldn’t notice?”

“Wha-”

“The two of you are all over him, complimenting him and clinging to him and taking him out on dates. If this is some sick joke to mess with Hyunjin then I swear to god, I-”

“Woojin!” Seungmin finally gets out, stopping the older in his tracks. “It’s not a joke.”

Woojin’s face is still skeptical as he bites out, “Then what the  _ hell  _ are you two doing?”

Seungmin swallows thickly. Woojin is scary when he’s angry. “We... want to date him?”

“Date him? Is this some messed up competition between the two of you?”

“Do you really think that little of us, Woojin?” Seungmin retorts. “Do you really think that Changbin and I would stoop so low as to mess with another person’s feelings? Just because we like to compete when we play games doesn’t mean we’ll do the same with people. We both have genuine feelings for Hyunjin, and we want him to date us. Both of us. That’s all. We’re not trying to lead him on. We’re not trying to compete to see who gets him first. If he decides he doesn’t want us, then fine. But don’t you dare accuse us of getting him to fall for us for  _ fun. _ ”

Dropping the charger, Seungmin storms out, throwing himself into Changbin’s arms. “Cuddle me,” he says stubbornly.

Bemused, his boyfriend does, wrapping his arms protectively around Seungmin. “Did something happen?” Beside him, Hyunjin gives him a concerned look.

“I’ll tell you later,” Seungmin says. He burrows his face into Changbin’s neck and whispers, “It’s about Hyunjin.”

“Okay,” Changbin says out loud. “Hyunjin, tell Seungmin the story you were just telling me.”

Seungmin focuses on the sound of Hyunjin’s voice, giggling as he talks about his roommate’s failed attempts at seducing one of their mutual friends, ignoring everyone else, especially a contrite Woojin who eventually makes his way back into the living room.

* * *

In the end, neither one of them makes the first move.

It happens in an instant. One moment Hyunjin is laughing with them over lunch, the next he turns down an invite to hangout. It wouldn’t have been as alarming if Hyunjin hadn’t decided to text everyone that he wouldn’t make it to game night at the same time. One moment they have Hyunjin, the next he’s vanished off the face of the planet.

Everything suddenly feels off, like stumbling over a rock on a flat stretch of road. Seungmin wanders listlessly through the days, lost without Hyunjin blowing up his phone, without Hyunjin eating lunch with him, without Hyunjin just... existing in their lives. He knows Changbin feels the same, sees the way his eyes dart around, instinctively looking for Hyunjin, hears him start to say Hyunjin’s name and then stop. Now that they’ve gotten a taste of what it’s like to be with Hyunjin, they can’t go back to what it was before.

They only last three days before they decide to investigate. Interested in them or not, Hyunjin is a close friend. Disappearing without a trace is unlike him, and they’re not going to let it go without knowing for sure that it’s really what Hyunjin wants.

Seungmin heads for the Engineering building. He’d tried the elevator, but when the doors opened to reveal a large... metal thing taking up most of the space, he’d opted for the stairs. Besides, explaining why he got in an elevator to check every floor of the building for one person would be unnecessarily tedious. Not that it matters, Hyunjin isn’t there anyway.

Seungmin meets Changbin outside, shaking his head sadly.

Changbin’s suggestion is his dorm building. He still lives on campus, and Changbin had dropped him off after some late-night recording sessions, so he knows where he lives. They only have to worry about getting in. Only dorm residents can get into the dorm buildings, and Seungmin and Changbin resort to creepily standing outside the building (not right outside, but... pretty close to the entrance) and keeping an eye out for Hyunjin. He doesn’t show. Of course.

Where did Hyunjin go?

* * *

A few more days pass without a trace of Hyunjin. He’d apparently told Felix that he was sick, and none of them shared any classes with the civil engineer. Changbin reasons that maybe Hyunjin really is sick, or has a legitimate reason for being so absent.

“And if he isn’t, then he wouldn’t just leave all of us,” he continues, pressing soft kisses into Seungmin’s fingers where they were interlaced with his. “Maybe he’d avoid us two, but not the entire group. Not for long.”

Honestly, it’s not reassuring. It just makes Seungmin antsy. He knows Hyunjin tends to overthink things (much like Seungmin himself) and he wants to save him from that. At this point, Seungmin doesn’t even care if Hyunjin reciprocates their feelings (it’s a lie, he does care, but it’s not the main reason), he just wants to make sure Hyunjin is okay. 

So, in a last-ditch, desperate effort, Seungmin heads for the dance studios. He passes the ultra modern dance building almost every day to go to class, but he’s never gone inside. It’s honestly kind of intimidating, walking past studios with clear walls showcasing dancers performing intricate, powerful choreographies. There’s a level of dedication associated with the arts that’s very daunting. You can’t just be skilled at what you do, but you also need a unique perspective, your own style, one that has grown and matured with skill and time and hardwork. There’s a little bit of that in his major, Seungmin knows, but not quite to that extent.

Seungmin knows it’ll look suspicious if he peeks into every dance studio looking for Hyunjin, but he really doesn’t have any other option. So he starts peering through the glass doors, scanning the dancers, looking for a familiar build, before trying to catch a glimpse of their face in the mirrors to make sure. He searches through several studios to no avail, until he peers into a smaller studio to find Minho, Felix, and Hyunjin. He didn’t know they were doing a choreography together. Did Felix and Hyunjin even share a class with Minho? And when had Hyunjin and Felix begun practicing again? Why hadn’t Felix told them Hyunjin was back? 

He shakes his head and pulls away from the door, pushing down the rising feelings of betrayal. Felix isn’t obligated to tell them about Hyunjin, especially if Hyunjin asks him not to. 

“Wow, they’re really good,” someone comments.

Their friend scoffs. “Felix and Minho are good. Hwang’s nothing special. He only got in for his looks.”

“You think so?”

“Oh yeah. Everyone in the dance department knows he’s nothing without his looks. He’s not even that good looking. The other two are way more attractive.” A pause, then, “C’mon, let’s go. I don’t want to look at Hwang fucking up anymore.”

Seungmin’s blood is boiling, and his jaw clenches so hard it’s starting to hurt. He so badly wants to punch that guy, scream about how they don’t deserve someone like Hyunjin, how Hyunjin is more than his appearance, how Hyunjin has worked far too hard to be reduced to something he couldn’t even control. But he also knows that fighting one person won’t fix Hyunjin. There will always be people jealous enough to discredit Hyunjin on the basis of his looks. Seungmin can’t fight everyone. He needs to help Hyunjin become strong enough to ignore this kind of criticism. 

Seungmin spares one more glance at Hyunjin, dancing passionately, working hard despite all the harsh, unjustified words thrown his way, and head back to his apartment. He needs to have a talk with Changbin, and maybe the rest of their friends, if they decide it’s serious enough to intervene as one group.

They finally have an idea why Hyunjin left so suddenly.

* * *

Changbin tells Seungmin not to mention it to their friends just yet. If it’s really affecting Hyunjin that much, then confronting it as a group without Hyunjin’s permission would be disastrous. Seungmin only knows because he overheard those boys, not because Hyunjin himself told him. So instead, Seungmin leads Changbin to the dance studios, where Hyunjin is. If Changbin had to enlist Felix’s help--with a hefty bribe and some explanation--than so be it. It’s late at night, a familiar feeling for Seungmin, who’s had to drag 3RACHA out of the studio after too many all-nighters. The streetlights are harsh against the dark night, adding to Seungmin’s already building headache.

The dance building looks eerily empty at night, like a glass castle held in a crushing grip. The inside is even emptier, dark save for the occasional gleam of the moonlight reflecting off dance trophies and...

Seungmin instinctively slows his steps to a snail’s pace, almost knocking into an unsuspecting Changbin. There’s a light at the end of the hallway, the faint sound of pulsing bass coming from the illuminated door. Something about this felt ominous, dangerous even. Like one wrong move would destroy everything. Changbin, despite never having been in the dance building, led Seungmin towards the light with a confidence Seungmin wished he had.

As expected, they find Hyunjin in that dance studio, working hard despite the late hour. His moves are sluggish, his eyes hazy and disoriented, but there’s still a fire in them, a crazed passion that both Changbin and Seungmin know all too well. A manic obsession that makes their hearts clench and their stomachs twist. In a furious split second, Changbin reaches out and throws the door open, ignoring the loud  _ bang! _ as it bounces off the wall.

In the moment Hyunjin (and Seungmin) flinches, Changbin stomps over, turns off the music, and slams the dancer against the mirrors.

“Changbin!” Seungmin gasps, frozen in place. He’s never Changbin this genuinely angry.

His boyfriend ignores him, instead snarling at the dancer, “Do you think you’re actually going to get stuff done like this? Do you  _ really  _ think overworking yourself like this will actually make you a better dancer?”

Even now, exhausted and trembling and haunted, Hyunjin still manages to bristle, biting out a “Yeah, and?” that seems to drain the last of his energy, and Seungmin and Changbin both know it.

“Let me tell you something from personal experience,” Changbin hisses. “Wanting to work hard and be the best is one thing. That’s admirable. But when you start working hard for the wrong reasons, when you decide your health is worth sacrificing for a better outcome, then you’ve fucked up. Because you’ll never be at your best when your mind and your body aren’t at their best.”

“I can’t be the best if I’m wasting time sleeping,” Hyunjin snaps.

“Well you can’t be the best if you listen to random people talking shit about you!” Changbin roars, getting so close to Hyunjin’s face that Seungmin almost thinks he’s going to kiss him, confrontation aside. 

Hyunjin’s face flushes angrily. “How do you know about that?”

“Seungmin went looking for you,” Changbin grits out. “Overheard some pricks and connected two and two. You think Chan, Jisung and I haven’t faced that before? You think people haven’t looked down on us because we were college kids, because we were privileged, because we didn’t fit the rap stereotype? People said I bought my success, that it wasn’t me rapping, that I had someone else produce and rap for us. I put my heart and soul onto the internet for thousands of people to bash and destroy. You think I don’t know what it’s like to have everyone hate you for being good?”

“But I’m not--” 

“Don’t you dare say you’re not good at dancing. We might not be dancers, but we can see skill and hard work when we see it, and you have it. Who cares what other people think? You know what will shut them up? If you keep your head held high and keep going. They’re only saying those things because they want to get under your skin and tear you down. Their way of being the best is by tearing everyone else down. And guess what? That’s not how the world works, and they’ll find out how hard they made their life when they graduate. But you? You’ll succeed like no other, whether you become an engineer or a dancer, because the only person you’re focused on is yourself.”

“Hyunjin,” Seungmin interjects when he sees Hyunjin’s mouth open, presumably to degrade himself even further. “You don’t know how many times I’ve had to drag Changbin out of the studio for the same exact reason. We’re not saying that it’ll be easy for you to ignore that kind of criticism, or that you’ll be able to do it forever. We’re just telling you that you decide who you should trust, and who you should listen to. Your professors, family, and friends? Trust us to tell you what you need to hear. Listen to our advice and decide if you want to take it. Don’t just trust random people who claim to have your best interests at heart but haven’t even taken the time to understand who you are beyond your skills.”

Seungmin approaches Hyunjin like he’s an injured feral animal, waiting to see if having both him and Changbin (who’s probably way too close for comfort to be platonic) so close to him will be too much. Hyunjin doesn’t seem to mind, welcoming Seungmin’s calming presence as he pulls Changbin back a little, letting everyone breathe. “Hyunjin...? Can you tell us how your feeling?” Changbin and Seungmin could say all the things they wanted, but if Hyunjin wasn’t open to any of it, it would be pointless.

For a few moments, Hyunjin doesn’t answer, panic in his eyes as his gaze flitted between the two of them. Then he glances away. “Just feel useless.” His voice is tight, almost cracking.

“It’s okay to feel useless,” Seungmin says in a practiced reassuring voice. “We’ve all felt useless. But you’ll injure yourself if you overwork like this, and then you’ll feel even more useless, and then you’ll work through your injury, and then you’ll cause permanent damage and ruin all your hard work up to this point. Is that what you want?”

Hyunjin shakes his head, eyes teary. “No.”

“Then take a break. You’re aren’t losing time if you’re making sure you can still dance tomorrow.” When Hyunjin still looks a little uncertain, Seungmin adds “Please? Just for tonight.”

Maybe he finally got to him, or maybe it was Seungmin’s pleading expression, but Hyunjin nods shakily, his figure slumping in exhaustion. Changbin wraps an arm around Hyunjin’s waist to steady him while Seungmin gathers Hyunjin’s things. They walk slowly, leading Hyunjin to the car. Hyunjin’s quiet and clingy, forcing Seungmin to take the driver’s seat so the the oldest can sit in the back cuddling the dancer. Seungmin catches glimpses as he drives them back to their apartment (Hyunjin had refused to go back to his dorm and they were too whipped to tell him no) and everytime he looks his heart melts a little at the sight of Changbin holding a much taller Hyunjin to his chest, stroking his hair and whispering what must be endless sappy comments into his ear.

Even as they get to the apartment, Hyunjin stays attached to Changbin, forcing the two to waddle out of the car and into the apartment building. Seungmin stares at the two of them with an almost creepy smile on his face during the elevator ride, not caring that he isn’t really included in the cuddling.

As if hearing his thoughts, Changbin brings Hyunjin closer, so that Hyunjin stands between him and Changbin. Seungmin carefully wraps an arm around the dancer, smiling when he curls into their warmth, sighing in barely concealed relief. It’s a struggle to unlock their apartment door and actually lead all three of them into their room when they’re conjoined into one clumsy unit, but they manage it, only separating to get ready for bed and give Hyunjin clothes to sleep in. 

Seungmin collapses onto their bed, Changbin following not long after. After a beat, they realize that Hyunjin is fidgeting at the edge of their bed, hesitant to interfere in their normal dynamic. He sighs. Maybe they’re still being too subtle. He sits up and yanks Hyunjin down onto the bed, moving the older around until he’s sandwiched between them, the center of all their affections. Changbin immediately rolls over to hug Hyunjin, resting his head on Hyunjin’s chest and clinging to him as if afraid he’ll disappear. Seungmin doesn’t blame him. He’s a little worried Hyunjin will leave again too. 

Still, he settles down a few centimeters from Hyunjin, his hand hovering over Hyunjin’s chest. “Can I?” He asks, still uncertain of how Hyunjin feels. Yes, they’re trying to be more obvious, but who knows? Maybe Hyunjin is just enjoying their affection platonically. Maybe he doesn’t know they have feelings for him still. Maybe...

Hyunjin reaches up with a hand and tangles his fingers in Seungmin’s. “Please.” His voice is barely a whisper, but screams of longing. Seungmin moves closer, tucking Hyunjin’s hand in between both of them. He glances past Hyunjin and catches Changbin’s eyes. They share a hopeful look.

Maybe... Hyunjin likes them both too.

* * *

Seungmin wakes up in a warm nest of blankets, an arm wrapped around his waist. There have been good mornings, on the days when their mornings were free and they were able to take their time cuddling, sharing sweet kisses and talking in the quiet early morning sun. This is one of those days.

The arm’s grip on his waist tightens, and then there’s a sleepy  _ Seungminnie _ that makes Seungmin still. That isn’t Changbin’s voice. He relaxes again, purposely snuggling back into the other’s embrace, letting out a soft sigh of content. He could get used to this. His perfect world, sleeping in with his partners around him.

It should startle Seungmin, how easily Hyunjin fits into the parts of his life that he hadn’t known about before. How Hyunjin fits into Changbin and his romantic dynamic without much effort

“You two look comfortable.” Seungmin and Hyunjin froze. “And you both look awake.”

Seungmin didn’t want to turn around. He  _ really  _ doesn’t want to turn around and face Hyunjin knowing that he willingly snuggled into the other’s body. Does he think Seungmin didn’t know? Or does he know that Seungmin knows and is preparing to tease him?

“Calm down, Seungmin, I can hear you overthinking from over here,” Changbin teased.

Seungmin huffs and turns around, sitting up. He has no intention of letting Changbin take advantage of his soft cuddling state for insults. “Come over here you idiot,” he hisses, scrambling over Hyunjin to try and smack the oldest. Hyunjin, however, has no intention of letting Seungmin go that easily, wrapping his arms around his waist and dragging him back down. Seungmin lands on Hyunjin’s chest with a loud “oof!”

Hyunjin gives Seungmin an innocent grin that makes his eyes disappear and Seungmin’s heart melt. “Why hit Changbin when you can cuddle me?”

Seungmin rolls his eyes. “I can’t possibly miss a chance to make fun of Changbin,” he says.

“Well you also can’t possibly miss a chance to cuddle me, so...” Hyunjin’s grip tightens. 

Changbin snorts, moving closer to sit on the bed. “Trust us, Hyunjin, if we have our way, we’ll have plenty of chances to cuddle you.”

Hyunjin’s smile falters for a brief moment. Seungmin and Changbin exchange looks.

“We should talk about that.” Hyunjin says for all of them, his voice weak. Seungmin nods, sitting up fully, pulling Hyunjin up as well. 

Changbin shakes his head, patting the dancer’s shoulder. “We’ll talk about it in a bit. But are you okay, Hyunjin? Do you feel better?”

“Yeah, thanks,” Hyunjin replies. “I slept a lot last night.”

Seungmin checks his watch. 10:37 AM. They’d slept for at least seven hours. Probably more rest than Hyunjin’s had in the last few days. “Hyunjin... we’re not just talking physically. Mentally, too. I know you’re not really ‘okay,’ but are you better?”

The dancer nods, pulling his legs up and wrapping his arms around them. “I think I am, yeah. I’m scared that I’ll do it again, though, because it was so easy the first time.”

“We’ll help you, okay?” Seungmin says, rubbing Hyunjin’s knee. “Us and the rest of our friends, too.”

“Do I have to tell them?”

“No you don’t. If you’re scared, we can tell them insead,” Changbin murmurs. “We won’t tell them everything, just that you’ve had some trouble with people and have been overworking. You can decide if you want to tell them anything more. Only if you want to, of course.”

“They do deserve to know why I disappeared,” Hyunjin mumbles.

“You told them you were sick,” Seungmin reminds him. “You don’t have to do it for them.”

The dancer shrugs. “If I don’t tell myself I’m doing it for them, then I won’t do it.”

“You also shouldn’t force yourself either,” Changbin interrupts, “but if you’re sure.”

Hyunjin nods emphatically. “Can we talk about what the two of you are doing with me?”

Changbin and Seungmin exchange looks. “What are we doing?” The words are careful, evasive, and hesitant. Something like this needs to be treated with all the delicateness of a surgery, or a Jenga block removal.

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed,” Hyunjin shakes his head, cheeks bright red. “You’ve been really affectionate lately, including me in stuff, maybe even taking me... on dates? Have you... been dating me?”

“I guess we were too obvious,” Seungmin chuckles. “We were trying to test the waters, but we really didn’t want to confuse you before we could tell you. Guess that plan didn’t work.”

“No, it didn’t,” Hyunjin laughs a little, relaxing. “But you probably didn’t factor in me disappearing for a while.”

Changbin shakes his head. “No, we didn’t. Our plan hasn’t changed though. We would still like to date you. Both of us.”

Hyunjin doesn’t look surprised, but still looks nervous, shifting awkwardly on the bed. “You do?”

Seungmin smiles reassuringly. “Yeah... you remember when I talked to you about my problems with Changbin?” Hyunjin nods. “That was because I knew he had feelings for you. And because at the time, Changbin and I were only fake dating.”

“What?” Hyunjin’s brows are furrowed, his face screaming his confusion. 

Changbin’s lips quirk up in an amused smirk. “Yeah, we’ve only really been dating for... a few weeks now? Seungmin and I were fake dating to look less like losers and we just never stopped, even though we both started liking each other. We went through a lot because of our miscommunication. We didn’t want to do it again with you, especially because polyamory is hard to understand, and we didn’t want to scare you off if you weren’t interested.”

Hyunjin takes a deep breath, and meets their eyes solidly. “I am interested. In both of you.”

Seungmin blinks, not expecting the blunt response. “You are?”

Equally as shocked, Changbin tacks on, “really?”

The dancer nods, eyes sliding. “I thought both of you were cute but backed off when I found out you were dating each other. I told myself it wouldn’t ever happen. And then when... everything happened, I just... thought it was the universe telling me that I should give up on you two.”

“But we’re not,” Changbin says softly, leaning forward. “We’re still here. So what do you want to do, Hyunjin?”

For a few long moments, Hyunjin didn’t say anything. Seungmin twisted his fingers, hoping that Hyunjin couldn’t see how nervous he was. He didn’t have to look to know that Changbin was equally as nervous.

If Hyunjin said he didn’t like them anymore, then Seungmin would be okay. It would hurt to be rejected, yes, but Hyunjin was entitled to his own feelings. Changbin and Seungmin could deal, especially if it kept Hyunjin in their friend group, where he obviously felt so comfortable.

Maybe they could back off a little. Make sure to never be alone with him, keep a distance during game nights far enough so that Hyunjin doesn’t feel like he’s ruining their dynamic in the group but not too close that Hyunjin feels uncomfortable. They’ll have to be less affectionate with Hyunjin, which might attract some attention (especially from Minho, the observant bastard) but they’ll understand. The others have been sending them strange looks (save for Woojin), and even Felix made a pointed comment, clearly protective of his dance partner. Seungmin would hate to see Felix’s face when he realizes what happened.

“Can I date you?” Seungmin head snaps up to see Hyunjin starting at them, his eyes a little teary. Why is he crying? The dancer continues, “I mean... I meant... would you date me? I want to date you.” His posture is confident but his eyes and voice say otherwise.

Seungmin can feel his heart pounding in his chest. Hyunjin likes them. He’d obviously mentioned having feelings for them before, but Seungmin doesn’t want to assume anything. There was always a chance that Hyunjin had successfully gotten over them. Hearing that he  _ does  _ still like him is a relief.

“Oh... good,” Seungmin musters, cheeks flushing when Changbin snickers.

“Yeah... good,” Hyunjin breathes, tearing up again. 

Changbin leans forward and wipes away the dancer’s tears, wrapping his free arm around Seungmin. “So you’ll date us? Officially?”

Hyunjin nods, chest heaving. He tears up again. “If you still want me.”

Seungmin can’t take this anymore. He leaps at the other, tackling him onto the bed. “Of course we want this,” he murmurs into Hyunjin’s neck, willing himself not to cry. Changbin shouldn’t have to deal with two crying boys right now. “Of course we want you.”

They cry anyway.

Turns out, Changbin’s pretty good at comforting two people at once.

* * *

The look on everyone’s face when the three of them show up together, fingers interlaced is absolutely priceless. It sends Hyunjin into a fit of chiming giggles, a sound that enraptures Changbin and Seungmin, and sends everyone else into a cheerful laughing fit.

Without any prompting, Hyunjin tentatively explains his disappearance, finally revealing exactly what those dance majors had said to him, jealous of an engineering major who gave them a run for their money. He gets an energetic group hug and whispered encouragements and praises that make Hyunjin emotional again, but Seungmin wipes them away before anyone notices. Changbin seamlessly switches into the story of how they got together, giving Hyunjin time to collect himself. The oldest purposely makes it as funny as possible, which isn’t hard, considering how much they all love to clown him.

When the nine of them finally move from storytime to Game Night, Hyunjin seems to finally relax. Changbin casually slings an arm around Hyunjin’s shoulder, pulling him closer as the engineer races Felix, Jeongin and Woojin in Mario Kart. Seungmin just leans against Hyujin’s side, patting his knee.

Jisung, never one to miss an opportunity, snorts and says, “Looks like you’re not the single one now, Hyunjin.”

Without missing a bit, Hyunjin retorts, “Still took less time than you and Jeongin. Didn’t even need a closet, either.”

Seungmin beams as everyone bursts into laughter at Jisung’s face.

He’s really glad that Hyunjin came into their lives and changed  _ everything. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm considering doing a side series with a bunch of fluff scenes about ChangSeungHyun, but I've also said that about nearly EVERY OTHER STORY I'VE WRITTEN.
> 
> So in other words... no promises.
> 
> twitter: @thequietrecluse

**Author's Note:**

> If you want, let me know what you think! This is my first SKZ fic but I've been a stay since Miroh and a lot of my mutuals are pre-debut stays so I've known about them and their music for a long time.  
> twitter: @thequietrecluse


End file.
